Dot Hack: AILOVE
by DarkDay
Summary: Kite plans to see a friend in the hospital, but doesn't quite make it. Kite/Elk. Shounen-ai. (Meaning non-yaoi.)


"I want Piney Apples."  
  
"Uh...Mmm..."  
  
Kite rifled through his pack, then produced the little, spined fruit, and he thought the grunty standing in front of him would bite his hand off when it immediately snatched it and began munching away. He ventured a halfhearted glare at the stable hand, who managed a lighthearted smile at the grunty's actions.  
  
The grunty finished devouring its prize, exhaling a light burp from his efforts, then began to glow brightly. The stable hand chimed in, "Ah! It's changing!", while Kite looked on, a smile of anticipation beginning to appear on his lips.  
  
Before the light had faded, the grunty rumbled a triumphant roar, punctuated with a loud "Clang!" Before Kite stood a grunty he had never seen before, clad from head to hoof in steel plate and barding. "I must thank you, clang! You have raised me from an infant to be a proud adult, clang! I would thank you, master, by offering my treasures to trade, clang!"  
  
Kite's descriptor icon showed this particular breed to be an iron grunty, and decided it couldn't hurt to see what this new beast had to offer. "Okay, show me what you have," he instructed the grunty, to which the creature nodded its head, prompting a window to appear in Kite's display, listing the grunty's few items.  
  
"Oh, wow-look at all of this stuff!" Kite almost jumped for joy, seeing what the grunty had to offer. "BlackRose would love this helm...and this sword, too! And-wait-what's this?"  
  
Kite selected an item from the list, one he had heard mention of plenty of times, thanks to a certain cat PC and her wavemaster friend. He chose to examine it, and a small bundle of grass stalks bound by twine appeared in his hand. "So this is Aromatic Grass? Looks hardly worth the trouble," Kite mused, rolling the small, unassuming bundle around in his hand. "Still...I bet Elk would love to have it for Mia; if this is the first time I've seen it, it must be pretty rare at our level..."  
  
Kite offered the grunty a Silver Scarab for the bundle, which it gladly accepted. He then opened his flash mail and sent a message to Elk to come meet him; no response. He tried again, but still nothing.  
  
"Hmm...I want to give him this while I'm thinking of it. Maybe he's in Mac Anu..."  
  
Kite left the stables, saying his goodbyes to the iron grunty. He crossed the wooden walkways to the Chaos Gate, then inputted the command to switch to the Delta server. The world in front of him disappeared into a yellow ring of light, which disappeared to reveal the water-locked root town, Mac Anu. He ran forward across the bridge, pausing briefly to kindly brush off the players that tried to invite him to trade, then turned right by the Magic Shop and ran down the alley alongside it. "This is where I first found them, maybe..."  
  
But all he found was the notorious troll M-78, who was excitedly telling a heavy blade that Kite could only assume was a new player, to search all over for Springs of Myst, because there was a secret item that could only be found if you were carrying ninety-nine each of both Gold and Silver Axes. The Heavy Blade fidgeted as if he were trying to find an excuse to leave but was too polite to simply walk away. Kite snickered to himself, then walked to the edge of the bridge in the center of town and peered over its edge.  
  
"Looking for someone?"  
  
Kite looked up to see who was speaking to him; it was Mia.  
  
"Oh, Mia! Um, actually," Kite peered around Mia, prompting her to turn and see what was so interesting, but found only her tail. She looked back at Kite and tilted her head to one side, a curious expression on her face. "Just checking something," Kite nervously laughed, having almost expected to find the diminutive wavemaster hiding behind her. "Anyway, yeah...I'm looking for Elk; have you seen him?"  
  
"Elk? Hmm... No, not yet, though it's only a matter of time before he asks me to ask him to join my party," she mused, ending with a sigh of mock annoyance. She then reached out and grabbed Kite's hand, as she had done during their first meeting, but instead held her nose to his palm, breathing in deeply. "I see. You'll probably find him in his favorite field; do you remember the place?"  
  
"Ah, yeah! It's on this server... Plenteous Smiling Hypha, right? But how did you know-"  
  
Mia nodded curtly, interrupting Kite. "Sorry, no time to chat; I need to pick up supplies before Elk calls. Goodbye." Before he could reply, she had already dashed the rest of the way across the bridge and turned to the right herself.  
  
"Good...bye..." Kite mumbled, watching her disappear around the corner to the alley where he could only assume M-78, also a blademaster like her, was waiting to make a trade. Shrugging, he turned and began walking towards the gate once more. "Delta server Plenteous Smiling Hypha... How did I remember that?"  
  
It had been a long time since he had seen Elk, and for some reason, even with the impending troubles bearing down upon him due to being entangled with the legendary blademaster Orca and the disasters it had caused, he felt happy to be going to see the wavemaster, something almost giddy he couldn't really explain, the same way it was around either Natsume or BlackRose. Thinking of the former, he considered asking her if she ever felt anything like this. "Maybe I should ask BlackRose about it... She did say to treat her like a big sister... But it's not really that important, some friends make you feel like that, I guess. I've made a lot of friends because of what's happened, maybe these three are just the easiest to get along with or something..."  
  
Lost in thought, Kite had slowed almost to a standstill, then stopped before narrowly bumping into another player. "S-Sorry," Kite offered, but the player merely shook her head like nothing had happened and went on. Kite shook his head as well to clear his mind, agitated at getting so distracted. "Agh, what's with me today...I need to hurry up and take care of this so I can go to the hospital." Kite stepped up to the gate, calling down the Keyword listings. Once he had made his selections, the town around him disappeared into another yellow flash, transporting him to Elk's field.  
______________________________________________________________  
  
Kite materialized in the middle of the orange and brown field; the ground was a thick mass of detritus, autumn leaves decomposing to nourish the huge mushrooms that grew from the loam soil. Kite could see massive tree trunks laying in the field in front of him, having given way to grow the smaller mushrooms that grunties favored; he gathered a few before checking his map to see where the dungeon entrance was located, the place he would expect Elk to most likely be, since he wasn't here.  
  
Kite trudged across the open ground, taking in the scenery; it seemed there were no portals in the immediate area, so he wouldn't have to worry about a fight on the way. Giant mushrooms towered all around him, some looking like they could offer a comfortable vantage point of the field around him. Kite saw the huge, thick mushroom stalk of the dungeon entrance, and from what he could see when he came around to its front, he wasn't the only one who had that idea.  
  
Sitting on top of a large, flat mushroom across from the dungeon entrance, Kite could already recognize Elk by his navy blue robes and light blue hair. He was staring at the ground, looking very dejected, the way he always seemed when Mia wasn't around.  
  
Kite approached the bottom of the mushroom, silently stepping into Elk's field of vision, startling the wavemaster. "Oh! Um, Kite...Hi..."  
  
"Hi Elk... Mind if I join you?"  
  
"Oh, um, I guess..." Elk moved over, clearing a spot on the cap that the spores of the giant mushroom had grown to make a ladder to. Kite placed his foot on a lower one, then carefully grasped another above it; once he was secure the footing wouldn't give way, he climbed up and took the seat that Elk had made for him.  
  
"I guess you came here to be alone, heh," Kite observed nervously, while the awkward silence caused by Elk's apparent disinterest in him being there hung thick in the air around him.  
  
"It's okay," Elk sighed, looking at the gaping, spike-toothed maw in the front of the giant stalk that marked the dungeon's entrance. He then looked down at the ground, his voice wavering when he tried to continue. "I...I cursed it... It was my sanctuary, and, and... I cursed it with my lies because I was so jealous."  
  
Kite regarded Elk silently, uncertain of how to react; they hadn't spoken of the incident since it happened, but it had weighed on Kite's conscious from time to time, making him sometimes feel guilty about it himself.  
  
After a few more moments of quiet introspection, Kite sighed. "No, Elk, you didn't do anything wrong; I never should've come here in the first place," he offered, trying his hardest to come up with some kind of excuse to spare Elk. "I probably brought the virus with me."  
  
Elk stopped staring at the dungeon and looked up at Kite, an edge of bewilderment in his expression.  
  
"You never saw me before I got this thing," Kite continued, holding up the arm that, though neither could see, both knew held the bracelet that had brought him so much grief. "My clothes were green, and I looked decent, not like the graffiti covered freak I am now," he spat, glaring down at his clothing.  
  
"Y-you don't look...bad at all," Elk offered, meekly.  
  
Kite blushed lightly, casting his eyes downward. "Heh, yeah, m-maybe... But my point is still, it's like Balmung said; I'm no different than the virus that destroyed your favorite dungeon...and hurt Yasuhiko..."  
  
"..That...that's not true!"  
  
Elk had moved closer to him, lowering his head so that he could make certain Kite was acknowledging him. "You're not the same! Y-you're, taking this...evil thing...and, and using it to do some good!"  
  
Kite continued staring at the ground below them. "You just said it yourself; it's still an evil thing, whether used for good or not."  
  
"But...um...I was wrong!" Elk backpedaled, trying to find what exactly he meant.  
  
"Then what are you saying?"  
  
Elk reached out and took the hand that held Kite's bracelet, placing it in his own. "I'm saying that, um...It can't be evil if you use it for good," with his other hand, Elk had grasped the wrist where the bracelet was supposed to rest.  
  
"Elk, I-I...I don't," Kite stuttered, flustered. He looked around his surroundings, hoping that if he could find something to focus on, he might regain his thoughts; he settled on Elk's eyes. "Thanks, I feel better," he finally managed to blurt out, causing the edges of Elk's mouth to curve up ever so slightly into a smile. He released Kite's hand and wrist, then sat up, looking at the dungeon more intently. Kite grimaced, having had time to think clearly once more. "Yeah, I feel better, and here I was thinking you were the one that needed it," Kite rolled his eyes, laughing softly at how the circumstances had reversed.  
  
"Um... It's okay, I feel a little better, actually." Elk stood and began to climb down to the brown-leaved field below, leaving Kite to sit at the mushroom's edge above. "I, um...think I'm finally brave enough to go and see if I can finish this dungeon by myself," Elk called back to him.  
  
"Are you sure? It shouldn't take long for us if we both went inside, and what if there are more data bugs?" Kite responded.  
  
Elk paused, as if he were seriously considering Kite's suggestion. Kite reiterated his offer; "Really, it's no problem."  
  
After almost a minute of deliberation, Elk finally shook his head. "Thanks, Kite... I'd really like it if you came, but, um, I need to do this myself, if...if that's okay..."  
  
Kite stood and leapt down, easily falling the distance and landing squarely on his feet, leaving Elk to stare at him with a touch of awe. "Hey, I understand," Kite offered his hand, placing it on Elk's shoulder. "You want to do something on your own."  
  
Elk half-lidded his eyes and leaned his head to the side, brushing his cheek against Kite's hand, then shook his head vigorously as if he had been lost in thought. "Yeah, um... I want to do this by myself, so you and Mia can be proud."  
  
"Hey, you've got nothing to prove to me," Kite reassured the wavemaster, but instead of relieving him, Elk seemed to lose a little of his newly gained vigor. "...But that still doesn't mean I won't be impressed by such a feat," he quickly added with a wink and a thumbs up, recovering Elk's seemingly tarnished feelings.  
  
Elk waved to leave, his staff materializing in his hand. Atop the staff was set an ornate, crystalline wand that captured and fractured light like a prism. Kite managed a laugh. "I see you got rid of that ugly old thing I gave you."  
  
Elk stared at Kite, puzzled, then followed his gaze to the staff in his hands. "What? No! Um, I mean...I'm sorry! I just...This wand has strong summons, and, I just...I'm sorry," he repeated, stammering and looking away in shame.  
  
"Oh, hey, no, I didn't mean it like that; I can understand not wanting to be seen with that gruesome thing... Dark History, right?"  
  
"Y-yeah," Elk stuttered. "But, um, it's not that at all... And it's really good and raises all my parameters a lot, b-but..."  
  
"But compared to the wand you have now, the magic doesn't hit nearly as hard, right?" Elk nodded, eyes still cast away. "It's okay, Elk, I understand; it's the same kind of strategy I use, actually," Kite unsheathed his weapon, causing a set of tined blades to stick out of each of his gloves, then brought his hands to his side and back up again, replacing the tines with a set of meticulously crafted, triangular blades. "Sometimes I just want to strike hard and fast, and keep the enemy from using their skills on me, so I have these Soul Blades," another movement of his arms, and the tined gloves had returned. "While other times, I need to be able to handle a long fight, so I take out my Masterblades; it's a simple strategy, but effective."  
  
Elk nodded. "Actually, um, I... I learned to do it by fighting with you... If that's okay..."  
  
Kite blushed once more, then smiled brightly. "Really? Um, sure, it's fine...I'm glad I can help." Kite waited a moment, then added another thought. "Actually, it's only okay if you admit that it's also alright for you to not always use something just because I gave it to you, got it?"  
  
"Um," Elk smiled shyly, "okay."  
  
Elk turned to leave once again, when it finally occurred to Kite why he had even come to find him.  
  
"Hey, Elk, wait; I came to find you for a reason.."  
  
"Came to find...me?" Elk stopped, pointing at himself, and blushing.  
  
"Yeah; come here," Kite waved him over. "I've got something for you."  
  
"Um...a gift...for me? I... I couldn't,"  
  
"Eh, it's nothing much; I had to trade pretty heavily for it, but I owed you for letting you think something could happen between me and Mia." Kite produced the small bundle of aromatic grass from his pack, offering it to Elk.  
  
Elk looked at it, then looked up at Kite. "Heh, I just thought, you know, you could give it to Mia..."  
  
"Kite...how much did you...give up for it?"  
  
Kite shrugged, unconcerned. "That doesn't matter..."  
  
"Tell me." Elk countered, uncharacteristically flat.  
  
"Um..Just a Silver Scarab, nothing, really..."  
  
Elk's eyes widened, so much so that the lines of his tattoos seemed to arch downward. He then shook his head. "Oh, Kite, you really shouldn't...It wasn't worth..."  
  
Kite started to get annoyed. "It was my treasure, so I decide what it's worth; I'm offering you something, isn't the nice thing to do to accept it, no matter how much it is or isn't worth?"  
  
"Oh... No... I didn't mean...it's just," Elk wrung his hands together, causing his staff to wobble from side to side. "I just don't know...How to thank you for all the things you've given to me..."  
  
"Is that all?" Kite smirked dismissively. "Just do whatever comes naturally," he counseled, pushing the bundle into Elk's fidgeting hands.  
  
Elk stopped and stared at the grass, then closed his eyes and placed it into his robes. "Um...whatever...comes naturally?"  
  
Kite, who had been checking his gear to prepare and gate back to Mac Anu, heard Elk and acknowledged him with a distracted "What? Oh, yeah." He finished his check by sheathing his blades, and just as he was about to give the command to leave, he felt a tug on his arm, then noticed Elk had grabbed it. "What's wrong-" but before Kite could finish his question, Elk had leaned close, and all Kite felt was Elk's lips lightly pressing to his cheek, before he leaned back to look at Kite more squarely.  
  
"T-Thanks," he stuttered, smiling innocently.  
  
"I-I...U-um," Kite was having a stuttering fit of his own. "I never felt...I don't," Kite's eyes darted all over the place, and he was unable to look at Elk for some reason he couldn't explain.  
  
Elk quickly withdrew his hand from Kite's arm and started to back away. "Oh, no, Kite...I...Forgot...I'm so sorry," Elk's voice broke, and he turned to run away, running straight towards the dungeon. In his haste, he had left his staff behind.  
  
Kite, whose mind had been trapped in a haze, called out to Elk to try and tell him that he had done nothing wrong, but it was too late. Kite thought that he should probably just let Elk get over it on his own, but then saw the staff lying on the ground at his feet. "Oh no...He's going to get killed without this!"  
______________________________________________________________  
  
Kite stepped into the entrance of the dungeon, and was immediately stricken with a sense of nausea at what he experienced. The viral decay of the dungeon's organic interior was so extreme, he could taste the bitter rot emanating from the walls and floor. The air shimmered with distortion waves, crackling and flashing with static, while the code of the walls' textures bled through to their surface. Over it all was a dull, ringing sound, doing nothing to help Kite think of a solution to his current problem, which was determining where Elk had gone. Unfortunately, he received his answer shortly thereafter, when he heard a loud scream coming from another room on the dungeon floor, a shout which couldn't be mistaken for anyone else but the wavemaster.  
  
"Elk! Hold on, I'm coming!" Kite shouted back, tearing off through the rooms between him and the source of the commotion. He finally burst into a large room at the end of an angled hallway, and was terrified at what he saw inside; a giant, animated tree held Elk's limp form in one of its huge arms, while a carnivorous flower danced about beneath the wavemaster, expectantly waiting for the tree to drop him.  
  
"ELK!!" Kite screamed, running into the room with his blades unsheathed. The flower dashed towards him on its vined feet, snapping hungrily. Kite, however, was more intent on a different target, and so with Elk's staff in one hand, he deftly severed the flower from its stem with the other as he ran by, paying the fallen plant no further heed as the monster's remains collapsed and faded away. He then reached the mammoth tree's trunk and plunged the tines of his weapon in to the knuckle, causing the monster's gnarled mouth to twist from a sadistic smile to a snarl of pain. The monster hurled Elk to the floor and sent his body tumbling across to the nearby wall, where it came to an abrupt halt against the hard surface. Thankfully for Kite, though, he managed to glimpse Elk slowly begin to stir as the giant now turned to face him. Kite knelt and slid Elk's staff across the floor towards him, sending it to clatter against the wall beside the wavemaster, then stepped back with both blades ready to face the abomination before him.  
  
At least he thought he was; as Kite was bringing both of his blades to charge the tree, its face once again twisted into an expression of malicious glee, leaving Kite to find his path stopped by a patch of saplings springing from the ground in front of him, then another group slamming into him from behind as they sprouted, doubling him over. The monster used Kite's momentum and swung one of its massive arms to catch Kite as he stumbled, turning to throw him into a nearby corner much the same way as it had done with Elk, only in this case, Kite slammed much harder and was left in a lot of pain from the impact. "Kite... Get up! ...Get up, Kite!" Kite could hear his mind yelling at his body to try and make it act, but there was nothing but vision that blurred and spun. He could hear the massive beast lumbering towards him, but could barely muster the attention to focus and see it happen, much less do anything to stop it.  
  
Suddenly, a large spike of ice erupted upwards, jutting from the monster's mouth, and its eyes fixed ahead in an expression of shock, until a second spine bored through the bark and pierced through between them, leaving the creature's red, hateful eyes to stare aimlessly while the blade of ice shattered and the trees slumped forward, before fading into nothingness as the flower had done beforehand. "Ah...Good...no need to move now." Kite closed his eyes and slumped his head forward himself, trying to rest and regain his senses before he got up to check on Elk. He didn't have to rest for long, though, because he felt light, comforting warmth wash all over him, so gentle he could have slept, but so strengthening he felt primed to jump on his feet and begin anew. He opened his eyes to see what had happened, and was greeting by a very disturbing, bloodshot yellow eye staring back at him from inside the jaws of a horned skull. Kite yelled and pointed one of his blades at the thing, unable to go anywhere as he was still cornered. He heard a slight giggle emanate from behind the grotesque monstrosity, so with his blades he pushed what he now realized was the head of a staff to the side, and found Elk standing behind it, trying to look serious, but choking back another giggle.  
  
Kite cut his eyes at Elk with fake upset and stood on his feet, dusting himself off. "You know, you had me worried," Kite lectured, still glancing at Elk with a look that was doing a poor job of masking his relief at seeing the wavemaster alive and well. He nodded towards the staff in Elk's hand, which was nothing more than a petrified spine with the ribcage and skull still intact, and a giant, fiendish eyeball set between the skull's teeth. "Decided to try it out after all?"  
  
"Um... Yeah, it seems like the power it gives alone can, um, make my spells all hit harder," Elk wouldn't look Kite in the face, hiding his eyes behind his long, blue hair, still feeling awkward about the incident that led him to flee into danger. "Kite, I..."  
  
"Let's go ahead and finish this dungeon up; I'll hang back and keep an eye out on you, but I just don't like the way this area has degenerated. And it's really weird that it hasn't spread to the field yet...I want to see more." Kite's interruption quickly dismissed Elk's explanation, leaving Elk to feel that he shouldn't press the matter, at least not for now.  
  
"Oh...Okay."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't interfere unless you really need it; you can lead the way," Kite smiled, gesturing towards the door to the next room.  
  
"Um...Alright!" Elk finally looked Kite in the eyes, and, seeing no upset there, smiled himself, then began leading the way.  
______________________________________________________________  
  
"We did it!" Elk shouted, stepping into the final room of the dungeon, where the Gott Statue stood watch over its solitary treasure chest.  
  
"No," Kite interjected, stepping into the room behind him. "You did it."  
  
"I, um... I couldn't have without your help," Elk replied, turning to Kite and shaking his head.  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm a godsend," Kite shrugged sarcastically. "If I hadn't stopped that wall with my face when we were fighting that big tree, I might've actually hurt the damn thing." Kite looked away, grumbling.  
  
Elk giggled softly. "Thousand Trees."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Thousand Trees, that's what the big tree monster is called," Elk placed his hands behind his back, grasping his staff sideways behind him and bouncing front to back on his feet. "And the flower monsters are called 'Hungry Grass' as well."  
  
"Oh...Seems like you do know this place well."  
  
"Mhm," Elk sighed, then placed his hand on a patch of wall where the code had bled through. "At least, I did once..." Elk looked down at the floor once again, the same dejected expression from before fallen over him like a pall. He crossed over to the treasure chest and sat down on it, before beginning to speak again.  
  
"Kite, um, about before...I forgot-"  
  
"You don't have to explain anything, Elk, it's okay; I didn't mind."  
  
"You didn't? But, can't you...feel everything? Because of your bracelet?"  
  
Kite sighed and moved to take a seat on the chest beside Elk, leaving no space between them; Elk fidgeted uncomfortably.  
  
"Yeah, I do fell everything, but like I said, it was, um...I didn't mind, that's all." Kite looked away from Elk, and the wavemaster could see that he was beginning to blush, before Kite mumbled "I really didn't mind."  
  
They both sat in silence for minutes, each trying to think of what to say next, both wishing it could all just blow over without them needing to say anything. Finally, Kite was startled to feel Elk place a hand on his chest to brace himself while he leaned against him. Kite gulped, unable to look down and see what exactly was happening, so he directed his eyes straight ahead until he could gather the nerve to look down and see Elk lying there, almost in his lap, with his eyes closed.  
  
"Um, Elk, I..."  
  
Elk's eyes fluttered open, and he began to look distressed. "You said, um, you said you didn't mind..."  
  
"Hm," Kite thought about it, and he really couldn't see that anything was the matter, at least with him; he calmed Elk's fears by putting his arm around the small wavemaster's shoulder, to which Elk's fear fled from his face and he closed his eyes once more, pulling closer.  
  
They sat in each others arms for a few minutes longer, before the exchange was broken when Kite almost jumped, startled at what realized the time probably was.  
  
"Kite? Is...something wrong?"  
  
"I completely forgot...I was going to visit Yasuhiko before visiting hours ended!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Elk looked away, shamed once more. "I kept you here."  
  
"No," Kite stated gently, but firmly. "I kept me here; I wanted to be with you. I...I honestly don't know why...No offense, I just...I don't know if I'm old enough for something like this..."  
  
"Like, like what?" Elk asked, not wanting to be presumptuous.  
  
"Like...Elk, I...I think I like you, at least...As far as I can tell," Kite shook his head in frustration. "I just don't know what I feel; I just know that what you did felt nice, and I was so scared when you ran in here unarmed, and I was so made when I saw you getting beat up, and...and I just wanted to protect you, but maybe that just means we're friends and I don't know what I'm saying...I'm so confused and I've never felt anything for anyone before, and I don't even know if this is anything...I don't even know if you're a boy or a girl..."  
  
Elk took a step closer to Kite, and looked into his eyes. "Would that...matter?"  
  
Kite's eyes fell, and he turned from Elk, balling his hands into fists. "I don't think so, but, I don't...I'm barely a teenager and I don't even know what the hell's going on with me and...and..." Kite began to break down, almost like he was ready to cry. "And my best friend's in the hospital, in a coma, because of this stupid game, and I may be the only one that can save him, and instead of trying to save him or at least go see him I'm just getting involved in places where I shouldn't be involved..."  
  
Elk placed a hand on Kite's shoulder, pulling on him to turn around. "What...What do you mean by that, Kite?"  
  
Kite turned, tears streaming down his face. "I don't know what this is I feel, and I don't want to get between you and Mia, and I just feel like going to bed and sleeping all night until morning..."  
  
Elk nodded. "I...I don't really want to give up on Mia, either...but I also look up to you, Kite. And...you've been so nice to me, even nicer than Mia, in some ways..."  
  
"Maybe, but...you can't give up on your feelings...and we both know that Mia feels the same about you, she might just not know how to show it that well; she's a very proud person..."  
  
Elk nodded, while Kite wiped his eyes. "But, um, still...I won't forget what you said," Elk moved over to Kite, placing his arms loosely around him, and looking up into his eyes. "I know I can trust you, erm, to watch out for me, and you can trust me to support you, too." With that, Elk closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Kite's. Kite trembled, almost wanting to cry again, but maintained his composure and placed his arms around the small of Elk's back, then returned the kiss; they kissed softly, passionately, then just as quietly parted.  
  
Kite rubbed the back of his head, trying his hardest to contain his smile; for some unknown reason, he just wanted to laugh. Elk saw this too, and felt the same way, and they both started laughing joyfully; their laughter echoed throughout the dungeon floor. Once the fit had passed, Kite began to wipe his eyes and reached inside his pack for a Sprite Ocarina. "Do you think you need me to help you get out of here..?"  
  
Elk, who had reached into his robes to retrieve his own Ocarina, thought for a moment, then placed it back inside, folding the navy blue jacket back over the red shirt within. "No, your friend needs you, and besides, I could use the exercise."  
  
Kite turned to walk out of the room, then stopped and called over his shoulder to Elk. "That could be true, but which friend?" Elk didn't have to look to see the smile he heard in Kite's voice.  
  
"Just go on, I'll be okay; I need to meet up with Mia anyway."  
  
"Okay, suit yourself; remember, you can find me whenever you need me." With that sentiment, Kite played the Ocarina and warped out of the dungeon.  
______________________________________________________________  
  
Elk stood on the bridge in the center of Mac Anu, looking out one the waterways that only months ago carried the legendary members of the Crimson Knights throughout the city. "So much of life is fleeting," he pondered, watching the light reflected from the water play off of the iridescent surface of one of the cards he found in the dungeon's treasure chest.  
  
"Well, isn't this a familiar scene."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
Mia slowly walked up to Elk, her hips gingerly swaying from side to side, causing her tail to sweep back and forth beside her. "Oh, hi Mia!"  
  
"And what're you thinking of, Elk?"  
  
"Oh, nothing in particular...Oh! Mia, look, I've got something for you!" He started to dig around in his robes, but Mia placed a hand on his arm to stop him, then leaned close to his neck, sniffing.  
  
"For me?" she purred, smiling and reaching into his robes where his hand was, digging out the bundle of aromatic grass for him, and leaving him blushing furiously. Mia retrieved the grass and held it in her hand, and chuckled. "Heh...He really is amazing."  
  
"Huh?" Elk paused, confused. "Who? Are you teasing me again, Mia?"  
  
Mia looked from side to side, trying to appear innocent, but the slow, hypnotic sway of her tail spoke otherwise. "It's a secret. Come on, Elk, I found a new field for us to go to!" Mia ran off, towards the Chaos Gate at the front of town.  
  
"But...Miiia! Miaaaaaaaa!" Elk whined, chasing off after her. 


End file.
